The Heavenly Demon's Bakery - Chapter 3

(3/656)

‘If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.’
It’s been a month since he returned to reality, and Jin-hyuk is completely settled. It wasn’t like this when the traffic accident first threw him into the Jianghu (the martial arts world). Back then, when he realised he had to live with a rubbish physique, not even good enough to be a third-rate martial artist, he couldn’t accept it and drifted for ages. But now, he’s home.
‘I can’t believe I came back like this…’
Although he was called the Celestial Demon and lived in the lap of luxury, he was utterly alone. His loyal subordinates carried out his every order without fail, but there was no one he could genuinely open up to. Even Gwang-anma, the only person he confided in, couldn’t grasp the concept of ‘another dimension’.
‘I’m thankful just to be back, but I’ve even rewound time.’
Jin-hyuk thought hard about why this had happened but couldn’t find an answer. He could only vaguely assume that perhaps he’d find out once he reached the legendary Talma (Demon Evasion) stage.
“That’s brilliant work! This bread is spot on. I’d believe you if you said you baked it yourself.”
‘That’s because I used the exact same method and ingredients as you, Dad.’
His father lifted the freshly baked milk bread, marvelling at it. His eyes were full of joy, and his face was beaming.
“My son is clearly a genius. To be able to bake every single loaf in our shop perfectly in just one month.”
“That’s only because you taught me so well, Dad.”
Jin-hyuk has been busy for the past month. At night, he continuously cultivated his internal energy using the Amcheon Simbeop (Dark Heaven Mind Method)—a secret heart technique passed down only to the leaders of the Demonic Cult—and broke through to the third level. During the day, he learned everything required to run a small bakery from his father: the techniques and secrets of baking, and how to deal with the customers.
The secret to mastering his father’s thirty years of expertise in just a month was simple.
‘If Gwang-anma knew I was using Sim-an (Mind’s Eye) to learn something like this, he might have succumbed to Ju-hwa Ib-ma (Qi deviation).’
During his time as an absolute powerhouse in the Jianghu, Jin-hyuk had two close aides. Gwang-anma, the chief strategist among them, used a unique martial art called Cheonan Tumagong (Heaven’s Eye Demon-Piercing Art). This art focused on intensely training eye strength, primarily through acquiring and mastering the Sim-an. When the Sim-an reached the twelfth level of grand mastery, it was a formidable art, capable of momentarily predicting the very near future. Gwang-anma used it to see through, memorise, and absorb his opponent’s movements and techniques, making them his own. Jin-hyuk was familiar with Gwang-anma’s Cheonan Tumagong and used it to fully absorb all of his father’s techniques. Crucially, another advantage of this martial art was that it didn’t require much internal energy.
Martial arts like the Cheonma Ganglimbo (Celestial Demon Descent Steps) or the Cheonma Geomgang (Celestial Demon Sword Aura) that Jin-hyuk mastered demanded enormous internal energy due to their powerful nature. Normally, the Cult Leader’s successor would have plenty of internal energy prepared through elixirs, formations, and Chugung Gwahyeol (Acupuncture and Meridian Unblocking), so it wouldn’t be an issue. However, since Jin-hyuk was now in South Korea, where the natural environment was ruined, making internal energy cultivation difficult, the benefit of the Cheonan Tumagong was keenly felt. The Cheonan Tumagong was currently at the third level, and even the first level was enough to master his father’s kneading and baking skills.
“Aren’t you proud of me working so hard?”
“Aye, I’m absolutely made up with how quick you’ve picked this up, you rascal.”
His father happily messed up Jin-hyuk’s hair.
“Dad! How old do you think I am?”
“How old? Twenty-four, twenty-five, perhaps?”
His father tilted his head. Seriously, was he that young? He felt like his father looked much younger now than he did, even though Jin-hyuk’s mind was older. The mood instantly shifted, and Jin-hyuk spoke seriously.
“I’ll prepare the dough for tonight and the bread for tomorrow morning.”
“Going in already?”
Normally, his father would stay behind to prepare the next day’s dough before going home. However, for the last couple of weeks, Jin-hyuk had stopped his father from working late and had taken over the work at the bakery.
“Again? Are you sure you don’t need a hand from your old man?”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you trusted me to handle it?”
“Right then, cheers.”
His father happily took off his chef’s hat and apron and headed home. After the bell on the door jangled shut, Jin-hyuk stood in the kitchen and took a deep breath.
He quietly raised and spread his hands. As they rose, a hundred eggs cracked simultaneously. He had used an extremely subtle burst of ganggi (martial energy) to lift and crack the eggs.
“It’s a right chore having to do them one by one when Dad is around.”
The cracked eggs dropped straight into ten stainless steel bowls. Mingling with the flour already in the bowls, the eggs formed small whirlpools. Into the rotating miniature typhoons of perfectly mixed base dough, supplementary ingredients like sugar, nuts, and chocolate powder plunged in.
“Good, good. That’s all the dough finished for today.”
The dough for sandwich loaves, choux pastry, soboro buns, and cream buns all required different ingredients and ratios. Activating the Cheonan Tumagong, Jin-hyuk scrutinised the ratio status of all the doughs with a sharp eye.
“The condition is spot on, too. All it needs is to be wrapped in clingfilm and left for a day.”
It would have taken his father over three hours. Finishing all the dough in ten minutes, Jin-hyuk lightly stretched.
“Time to focus on cultivating internal energy, then?”
At home, even if he closed his door, his father or mother would often burst in suddenly while he was cultivating. The empty shop—this was the time when Jin-hyuk could concentrate best on his training.
Jin-hyuk sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
‘On the first day after I regressed, I couldn’t believe it.’
It was only after performing the Sojucheon (Small Heavenly Cycle) that day that he realised his meridians were a total mess. And it was by the very fact that he could perform the Sojucheon that he confirmed he had truly ‘existed’ in the Jianghu. Since then, he has continuously cultivated his internal energy. Now, his bl00d vessels have strengthened somewhat through the Sojucheon he has consistently performed while sleeping over the past month.
‘Today, I’ll circulate the Imdok Yangmaek (Governing and Conception Vessels).’
Opening the path of the two vessels, the Im-maek and the Dok-maek, is the first step towards the Daejucheon (Great Heavenly Cycle). However, activating the Imdok Yangmaek leads directly to Hwan-gol Tal-tae (bone and flesh reconstruction), which presents a few issues right now. Based on his past experience, after Hwan-gol Tal-tae, he grew taller by about 10 cm and his facial structure changed drastically. It transforms the body’s constitution into one optimized for cultivating martial arts. But if his face changed overnight, his own family wouldn’t recognise him.
‘I’ll carry out the Hwan-gol Tal-tae gradually, slowly, over a hundred days.’
Hwan-gol Tal-tae over a hundred days—something completely unheard of in the history of the Jianghu. He intended to accomplish this unprecedented feat for the first time. The activation of the Imdok Yangmaek was just the first step.
‘So, this time, I’ll just completely open the initial part of the Imdok Yangmaek and prepare the path for the Jin-gi (True Qi) to flow.’
Jin-hyuk closed his eyes. The flow of Jin-gi penetrating his whole body, from the Hyeum-hyeol (Perineum point) to the Baekhoe-hyeol (Crown point), flowed slowly and unhurriedly, like a massive river. Compared to the enormous internal energy he experienced in the past, it was minuscule—less than a drop of bl00d on an elephant’s foot. However, the quality of the flow was no less potent than before. He diverted the Jin-gi, which naturally tried to ascend through the two vessels, to rotate in a spiral at the entry point. This was easy for him, as he had already reached the Uinyeom Jigi (Will-Concentrated Energy) stage.
“No…!”
The hard, inelastic Gihyeol (Qi and Bl00d) expanded, sending pain throughout the muscles of his body. This was nothing compared to when he was stabbed near the heart while fighting the Sword God Namgung Mu-je. He didn’t frown or make a sound. He continued the circulation of the Gihyeol.
“…! This Jin-gi…”
He opened his mouth in surprise. He stopped the circulation on his own accord because the energy had instantly surged halfway up the Imdok Yangmaek. Suddenly, something rushed up, as if his whole body was filled with Gihyeol. Like water overflowing a cup and spreading wide, a warm sensation suddenly rose from his empty Danjeon (Elixir Field). It was the exact same energy he possessed in the past. Jin-hyuk blocked the energy, which was threatening to blast through the rest of the Imdok Yangmaek.
“Does internal energy… remain in the soul, not the body?”
He could think of no other explanation. He had recovered over half of the internal energy he had in the past. Even without fully activating the Imdok Yangmaek, energy overflowed into all his meridians, and rotten waste products streamed out onto the surface of his skin. His lower body—his waist and legs—recomposed itself, losing the waste and making strange cracking and snapping sounds.
His white chef’s uniform had already melted away.
“My magnificent hundred-day Hwan-gol Tal-tae plan…”
He covered his face with both hands and let out a brief, mournful groan.
“Blast it.”
As he stood up, he rested his right hand on the floor, and the floor tile CRACKED! and shattered.
“…”
Just a light touch was enough to break the tile. He had recovered more than half of his former strength. He hadn’t mastered the external art of Geumgang Bulkwae (Indestructible Diamond Body), but through the principles of the Budong Simbeop (Immovable Mind Method), which constantly circulated Gi (life force), he always kept internal energy flowing through his entire body’s meridians to protect himself. It protected his body so effectively that it could be called an automatic Body Protecting Aura.
Jin-hyuk sighed, looking down at the broken tile.
“…I’ve gotten taller?”
Not only had he grown taller, but his foot size had increased. Fortunately, his face hadn’t changed dramatically. His nose was higher, his cheekbones were slightly more pronounced, and his skin had improved a little—that was all.
“…”
Jin-hyuk changed into a spare chef’s uniform and put on a fine-dust mask.
“The plan failed on the very first day. Two days should be enough now…”
Beep, Bep-beep. Beep, Bep-beep.
As the door opened and Jin-hyuk walked in, his mother asked.
“Son, what’s with the mask?”
“The air quality is pretty dire lately, so I thought I’d wear it.”
Jin-hyuk naturally walked into his room wearing the mask. His father nodded and watched him.
Inside his room, Jin-hyuk sighed and looked at the mirror.
‘Tomorrow morning… should I just try to naturally avoid eye contact?’
Avoiding the normal gaze of a human for about 99 days wouldn’t be difficult. That is, assuming his parents don’t try to look closely at his face. As Jin-hyuk sat cross-legged again to perform the Sojucheon, he overheard his father lowering his voice outside the door.
“Jin-hyuk is a great help, so my workload is lighter, but the bread still isn’t selling.”
“Is it because Hyuk’s still learning?”
“Nah, that franchise bakery Chan-il opened down the street has been running continuous discount promotions. I think that’s why.”
“So, should we have a discount promotion too?”
“They do things with phone company points and all that… It’s complicated. Can we even manage something like that?”
“Right, let’s have a discount. If someone comes in to buy bread and their name ends in ‘Ja’—like Suk-ja, Mal-ja, Jeong-ja… Yeong-ja… we’ll give them an extra one.”
“Oh, you, dear!”
His mother chuckled, and his father returned the hearty laugh. His mother continued.
“Sweet Baguette opened once before and went bust. This time won’t be any different. Jin-hyuk is doing well, and we’ll be fine.”
“You’re right, dear. My arthritis has been getting better lately, too, so everything will turn out fine.”
His arthritis had been getting better because Jin-hyuk was secretly giving him full-body massages, combined with Chugung Gwahyeol (Acupuncture and Meridian Unblocking), every night. He closed his eyes tightly outside the door. It took him a moment to remember—it was something from decades ago.